In this lecture series we give an introduction to amoebas andthe role they play in complex and real geometry. In the first two or three lectures we treat the following subjects.

Introduction: use of polar coordinates in complex geomtry; definitions of amoebae and algae (coamoebas); first examples: lines, planes, hyperplanes. Area and volume of amoebas and coamoebas; computation of zeta(2) due to Passare; degrees and bounds for amoeba volumes. More examples: amoebas of planar curves and their tropical limit; Ronkin's function and its thermodynamical interpretation. Further topics are to include Monge-Ampère measure; holes (vacuoles); amoeba's contours; connections to real geometry; simple Harnack curves; generalized amoebas and amoeba-like objects.

A more detailed further plan is to be announced after the beginning of the first couple of lectures.